Gabrielle Franze – Building a Career of Service and Discipline
- Feb 2
- 4 min read
Some careers grow fast. Others are built step by step. Gabrielle Franze’s path falls into the second category.
She is a Firefighter and Paramedic with the Orange County Fire Department. She is also a competitive CrossFit athlete and the founder of Redline K9 Dog Training in Florida. None of these roles came from shortcuts. Each one came from early interests, steady training, and a clear sense of purpose.
“I always loved fire trucks and the idea of being a firefighter,” Franze says. “Helping people felt like something I was meant to do.”
That idea has guided her decisions from a young age and continues to shape how she works today.
Early life in Oviedo, Florida
Franze grew up in Oviedo, Florida, where her family has owned a local business for 35 years. Her mother transitioned to the family business full time in 2020, after a long career as a healthcare executive. From them, she learned early that there is no replacement for responsibility and hard work.
“When you grow up around a family business as demanding as ours, you see what consistency looks like. I saw my dad go to the business 7 days a week, rain or shine, and without fail.” She says. “I learned from my parents that showing up every day matters, even when it’s hard.”
Growing up, she played little league soccer at the local YMCA which prepared her to earn her spot on the high school soccer team. By age 16, she discovered CrossFit as a way to build her endurance for soccer, but then fell in love with the sport. CrossFit gave her a supportive community, structure and discipline. Within 6 months, she hung up her soccer cleats and picked up the weights for her high school weightlifting team, where she excelled. By the age of 18, Franze was competing in her first CrossFit Games.
“CrossFit taught me how to stay uncomfortable and keep moving,” she says. “That mindset carries into everything else.”
She also loves dogs. That love began in early childhood and has stayed for her entire life.
Education and emergency medical training
After graduating from Hagerty High School in 2015, Franze locked in and by 2017, she achieved her first goal of becoming a firefighter/ EMT. By 2019, Franze earned her Associate of Science, Emergency Medical Services/Paramedicine from Seminole State College and earned her license that same year.
Her certifications include Firefighter I/II, EMT, Florida Paramedic, ACLS, PALS, EVOC, FEMA training, and Wildland Firefighting. She also holds national EMT registration.
“I wanted to be prepared,” she says. “In emergency work, preparation is not optional.”
During this time, she volunteered as a Fire Explorer with the City of Orlando and later as a Volunteer Firefighter and EMT in Deltona. These early roles gave her hands-on experience before her full-time career began. As a life-long learner, Franze continues building upon her education and experience, one class after another.
Career as a firefighter and paramedic
In 2019, Franze proudly joined the Orange County Fire Department as a Firefighter and Paramedic. The work is demanding and unpredictable. It requires physical strength, technical skill, and emotional control.
“No two calls are the same,” she says. “You have to stay calm and focus on the task in front of you.”
Her athletic background helps her handle the physical side of the job. Her medical training supports the clinical side. Firefighting reminds her that being comfortable with discomfort is necessary for the job. “Working under pressure is what we do,” she says.
She credits mentorship and teamwork for much of her growth. “Fire service teaches you fast that you’re part of something much bigger and more important than yourself. You’re part of a team; a chosen family who all commit to one common goal – serving and protecting others,” she says. “We rely on each other to bring our best every day.”
Competitive CrossFit as a parallel track
While building her career in fire service, Franze continued to compete in CrossFit. She trains consistently and competes annually.
For her, the sport is not separate from her job. It supports it.
“Training keeps me mentally sharp and physically capable,” she says. “It builds mental toughness and discipline that carries over to all parts of my life – firefighting, paramedics, CrossFit, and dog training.”
She views competition as a way to test her psychological limits, not just strength.
Starting Redline K9 Dog Training
In 2019, Franze launched Redline K9 Dog Training in Deltona, Florida. The business grew from her life-long love of dogs and her experience working with high-stress professions.
“I saw how much dogs helped me, so I thought why not help others too, especially first responders,” she says.
Redline K9 focuses on canine obedience training and sharing her experience with her own dogs as they’re training in the fields of emotional support, search-and-rescue, and canine sports competitions. Franze works closely with her own dogs as they participate in these training programs.
Rip is training for disaster recovery search and rescue.
Nova is certified as an emotional support service dog through Orlando Health Hospital System.
Atlas trained in cancer detection and is a dock diving champion.
Oakly is a Fast CAT and dock diving champion.
“Dogs respond to consistency,” she says. “Training is about trust, not force.”
The business reflects her broader approach to work: structured, practical, and service-focused.
Bringing ideas to life through discipline
Franze’s career is not built on one role. It is built on alignment. Fire service, athletics, and canine training all reinforce the same values.
“Discipline is what connects everything,” she says. “If you build good habits, they show up everywhere.”
Her story is not about sudden success. It is about stacking skills over time. Each phase builds on the last.
As she continues working in fire rescue and emergency services while also growing Redline K9 Dog Training, her focus remains steady.
“Do the work,” she says. “That part never changes.”
